Distressed mamma mamba caught in Northdene
The black mamba will be looked after by Nick Evans until it is healthy enough to be released into the wild.
THE Highway area’s friendly snake catcher, Nick Evans recently retrieved a pregnant black mamba from a Northdene home.
Dan Pienaar, a friend of Evans, contacted him to say his resident black mamba had been spotted and requested he catch it.
“He’d seen the mamba a number of times in his garden. Recently, he walked right past it and only realised afterwards that it was only a foot or two away from his leg!” exclaimed Evans.
Before Evans arrived, the reptile disappeared into long grass near an old pit.
As it is a perfect place for a snake to hide, the snake catcher guessed it would be inside.
“I walked cautiously to the pit. Sure enough, the mamba was there. Just the end of the tail was sticking out. As it started moving, I grabbed the tail with my tongs and then with my hand. The tongs at the ready, should the head come flying back out at my hand,” said Evans.
He described the mamba as ‘sluggish’ and initially pinned the cause to the miserable weather. He reached in with the tongs, grabbed the upper body of the deadly snake and pulled it out from the pit.
“At first, I was chuffed that we got it! But then I looked at it more closely. This mamba was not healthy. Mambas should be chunky with a round body. This one has an almost triangular body,” he said.
He felt the belly and confirmed it was pregnant. The snake was then taken to Dangerous Creatures at uShaka Marine World for a check up. It was x-rayed and noted the eggs were not packed tightly together.
“We presumed the majority, if not all, were either infertile, or had gone bad due to her condition,” said Evans.
He placed the mamma mamba in an enclosure with a water bowl, which was later removed too ensure the eggs were not laid in the water.
“The following morning, there were two decent-looking eggs and a bunch of duds. The duds look like pebbles. Over the next few days, she popped out more duds. Hopefully we can get her back into good condition to be released,” he said.
If you need a snake removed from your home or property, contact Nick Evans on 072 809 5806 or email nickevanskzn@gmail.com.
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